


Pokemon Journey

by Veggie



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pokemon, Pokemon AU - Fandom, pokemon adventure - Fandom
Genre: Other, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 15:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12890868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veggie/pseuds/Veggie
Summary: A different look at a pokemon journey, in Johto. You follow a child named Michael, freshly moved from Hoenn, as he leaves his caring father to begin his belated journey in the Johto region.





	Pokemon Journey

 

Chapter One  
\------  
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!  
My alarm goes off for only the third time in my new room. Although I've been awake for hours. Today is supposed to be the day. All of the important boxes are now empty, and the rest are shoved in the back of the closet. As I slap the head of the Bellsprout shaped alarm clock my Dad bought the day we moved in, I look out the window of my newly built home and I see the sun rising over the horizon of beautiful trees and scenery right next to a place called Sprout Tower. That place gives me a bad vibe, but still, the view is pretty.  
I run downstairs to find Dad finished cooking, setting breakfast on the table for me. He loves cooking, and this is the first real meal he's had the chance to make in the house. We've been surviving off of fast food since we left Pewter City, so I'm glad to taste his fresh cooking again.  
Once I sit down, I ask him when we're going to leave for New Bark Town to meet Professor Elm. His eyes widen, giving me the impression he forgot that he promised me we'd do it today. He knows I've been waiting for exactly two months. That's how long it's been since I turned ten years old. That's how long my journey has been delayed. Dad told me I'd have to wait to start my pokemon journey until after we moved. Its a fair argument, but I know he's putting off letting me go. It's just been me and him for almost a year and I don't think he's really used to it yet. I don't know if I am either, but thinking about starting my adventure keeps me positive. At least mostly.  
"We can leave after we eat" he assures me, with a mouth full of bacon and eggs. I can barely contain my excitement, shaking with anticipation. Once I finish stuffing my face, I head back upstairs to grab the bag and hat. The bag, my Dad hand prepared, and the hat he bought for me to wear once I began my adventure. He's been so busy for a long time now. Last night when I woke up I went downstairs to find him asleep in his chair, clad in Mom's apron. The broom was leaning against the chair and the tv was on. Though it wasn't one of his normal channels so it was probably only on for background noise.  
As I descend the stairs once more, I hear a crashing from the kitchen. Dad dropped the plates on the way to the sink. Noticeably upset, he observes the damage around him, trying to remain composed. He then goes for the broom.

"I'll have to clean this up before we leave."

I plant myself at the bottom step, ready to jet as soon as he finishes cleaning the mess. I slide my backpack off my shoulder and begin familiarizing myself with its contents. I probably should have already done this but I've been too busy daydreaming about my adventure to care about it. There's an old photo of Mom and Dad with baby me. They looked so happy. There's something heartfelt written in red ink on the back with the words, "I love you, Mom".. I love you too.

I begin to daydream again and before I know it, Dad had swept up the mess. He also mopped the whole kitchen, for some reason. I look at the clock realize I've been sitting there for nearly an hour.

"Can we go yet?"

"One second." Dad grabs his belt and cap, then we hop on our bikes and head for the professor's lab. I'd love to pedal as fast as I can and get there as soon as possible, but I know he would want me to stay with him. Even though, the pedals at half the speed I'd like to be going.  
"We're stopping at the pokemon center first. I need to grab something." He says, tilting his head back and to the left. At this point, I'm ready to crash into a ditch because it's clearly not happening today. Still, I bite my tongue. And after a few minutes, we arrive at the pokemon center. This isn't the first one I have ever seen, but this is the first time I've ever been inside, as I've never had reason to. Once we park our bikes, Dad asks me to follow him in. We approach this station on the inside of the building that resembles a very old computer monitor but very well taken care of.

"This is a pokemon PC. When you have plenty of pokemon of your own you can store them here and they will be taken care of, as you can only carry six of them at any time. We're here because I need to get a favor from an old friend."

He does something on the computer and in the console, underneath the screen, a bright light shines through and a pokeball appears. Dad slides the clear plastic cover up, and he grabs the ball from inside. "Son, let me introduce you to my first partner, Swampert." Dad presses the button on the center of the ball and a beam of light shoots out from it as it opens. Emerging from the light is this big blue, orange, and black amphibious beast. Way bigger than me, but not quite as big as Dad. This stowic creature stands on its hind legs and extends it's arms out as far as it can, beautiful and terrifying. Then drops on its belly and falls asleep.  
"Hey wake up you big bastard! We haven't seen each other in how long and this is how you greet me? Get up for my son!" Barks Father as he freaks out in frustration. The Swampert peaks open one eye to glare at him as though annoyed, but shrugs him off. Swampert then gets back up and approaches me. It's sniffing me up and down, then brushes its head strongly against me. I think he likes me. "We're going to get my son his first pokemon today, and we could use the extra muscle," Dad tells Swampert, who turns and nods to my dad, understanding.  
Dad returns Swampert to his pokeball by pressing the center once more. He places the ball on the belt that he grabbed as we left the house. We then leave the pokemon center, return to our bikes to continue our journey to the pokemon professor's lab. We ride on, passing city limits and entering route 31, which in some ways could be considered the first route on my pokemon journey.  
As we continue winding through nature on our bikes, we pass a dark cave with a sign on the outside of it, "Dark Cave". Could that be its name or just a blunt explanation of what it inherently is? I'm not sure, but before I knew it, we've passed the cave and pass another sign signaling we've entered route 30. It's actually just a grassy path. Dad tilts his head back to tell me how he battled many young trainers here when he was in his youth.

"But I thought you were from Hoenn."

"I started my adventure in Hoenn, but my family moved to Johto shortly after, and I went with them. That's why I wanted you to wait until we moved. I didn't want you to have to start over like I did."

He slows down and points to his left, some thin trees. Some seem to have been cut down but now grown over. Past the trees is an old log cabin. Reminiscing, Dad tells me "That's where a man named 'Mr. Pokemon' used to live. Funny name, right? I think he was just called that because he was a top pokemon researcher.", and we continue riding. We go over a few rough edges, even though I can clearly see easier paths. It seems he is trying to avoid as much tall grass as possible.  
Dad slows down and I hear some loud commotion from behind the trees to the right, followed by an explosion, and a tree falls directly in our path in front of Dad. A huge, almost dinosaur creature with spiked, green looking armor stomps through the smokey opening in the forest.

"It looks like a Tyranitar, but different. Bigger."

I've never seen a Tyranitar before. It's.. scary. For the first time, a shred of doubt creeps into my ability to take on a pokemon journey. I look at my Dad though, and I don't see fear, I see some kind of spark in his eyes that I've never seen before. A spark of inspiration that's so contagious, I think I may have caught it. I believe it's cured the shred of doubt that was in my heart only a moment ago. It already feels like forever ago, almost like it didn't even happen.  
Dad reaches for his belt and unleashes Swampert once more. Though as big as Swampert is, he's dwarfed by the monstrous Mega Tyranitar. The partners lock eyes, and Father lifts his left arm, with his watch on it, and the watch glows. "It's time for our Mega evolution!"  
Swampert is engulfed in a sphere of energy and emerges, bigger and better than ever before. Swampert has grown at least two feet. His back is like a mountain and his arms have become these huge hulking bricks. His forearms are reminiscent of an old cartoon character Dad used to sit and watch.  
Dad barks his command, "Aqua Jet!", and Mega Swampert becomes covered in high pressured water and he tackles the Tyranitar. The ground shakes and these two behemoths collide and fall into another tall pine, snapping it and knocking it over with them. On its back, the Tyranitar uses one of its short but powerful legs to kick Swampert, knocking him into the air several feet. The power it would take to do that to a creature so big is baffling. While Swampert remains in the air, my fearless father yells out "Hydro Pump" and Swampert spews from its mouth an entire lakes worth of water, nearly drowning the beast my dad called Tyranitar.  
Once finished, Swampert lands. The battle is clearly won and the Tyranitar has been knocked out from the impact. Tyranitar glows and shrinks in size quite a bit, but is still huge.  
"Back to normal, but how'd you Mega Evolve in the first place?", Dad inquires. I hear some rustling in the bush, but when I look, nothing is there.

"Well, we should hurry to the next town. We need to alert the pokemon center about all this."

Swampert drags the tree out of the road as much as it can before reverting back to its normal state. Dad returns Swampert to his pokeball. We climb back on our bikes and continue to the next town. Before long, I smell small flowers and a sea breeze, followed by a sign that says "Cherrygrove City".  
We ride straight to the pokemon center and Dad hurries in to tell them about the fainted Tyranitar, and busted trees that should probably be cleaned up. I decide to stay outside and look and the serene water at the edge of the city. A heavy-set fellow in a blue shirt who is fishing at a dock. He's got a thick scruff on his face and I get the feeling he is probably there all the time. I begin to imagine what his life is like, choosing a simpler pokemon journey. Thinking of all kinds of fish-like pokemon he might have.

"MICHAEL!"

I awake from my daydream and realize my dad has been trying to get my attention for some time now, and I let lose a small chuckle. "Sorry.."

"Let's get a move on.. unless you've changed your mind?"

"Oh no, let's go!"

"Alright, it should be smooth sailing from here out. There's a clean route through to New Bark Town. No troubling encounters."

We leave Cherrygrove, and the smell of freshly cut grass consumes my nostrils as we enter route 29. As Dad said, the way to New Bark is very quick and clean. We pass a building that apparently leads to route 46, which to me feels like a bit of a jump.  
A strong wind hits my face like a pillow swung by my dad's swampert. I see a sign that says "New Bark Town: Where the wind blows and tells of impending change." We've arrived. My very own real pokemon journey is about to begin! I can barely stay on my bike as my body trembles with excitement.  
As we pull up to the building labeled "Pokemon Laboratory", an older gentleman opens the door to greet us. He wears a long white coat over his collared blue shirt with a yellow stripe. He has glasses, and his hair is short but choppy on top. It's mostly silver, but still has hints of the shade of brown that it once was. He shakes my father's hand, as though they've known each other for years. He then turns and crouches to shake my hand and introduces himself, "Hello, I'm Professor Elm. You must be here for your pokemon partner. What's your name?"

"I'm Michael."

"Nice to meet you, Michael." He then leads us into the lab, and up to his desk. He presses a combination on the keypad laying on his desk, and from the ground rises this post clad with a plate that has a pillow in it on top. Laying on that pillow are three pokeballs.

"Well, take a look."

I swallow my spit as though it were my nerves, and I open the first pokeball. The first creature I'm faced with is blue, like my dad's swampert. It's a little crocodile that stands on its hind legs and has red spikes on hits back and tail. The professor tells me its name is Totodile, and that he is little but feisty. I like him.  
The next ball opens to reveal a pokemon called Chikorita. It's a pale green pokemon with darker buds around its neck, and a large leaf hanging from the top of its head. She stands on all fours and clearly has a bit of an attitude. It's a bit much, but I respect the strength in spirit.  
The final ball opens and a pokemon resembling an echidna pops out. It's smaller than the other two. Blue fur on top of it's head and back with a milky color on the belly side. It stands on its hind legs, has two small hands with no claws. It sneezes and flames burst from the back of its tiny body, startling me. The professor tells me, "That's Cyndaquil, the fire pokemon."

"So, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure, they're all amazing in their own ways. Chikorita has a strong attitude, Totodile reminds me of my dad's pokemon-"

Dad interrupts, "Son, as flattering as it is, you don't have to be like me. You go be you, the best you that you can possibly be.. and if that's the total opposite of me, so be it. Just do what you think is best." While listening to my dad's words, I feel a warmth on my ankle. I look down, and the Cyndaquil has snuggled up to my feet. My chest flutters, as I feel a bond form with this small sweet creature. "I think I'll take Cyndaquil."  
"Then it's decided." The professor puts the other pokemon up. He then goes to his shelf, grabs a bag of berries and a bottle of liquid. "Feed him these when he's hungry, and if he's hurt, this spray will help him heal. "

"Well, everything seems to be in order, it was nice seeing you, Elm."

"It was good seeing you too, friend."

"Now son, don't go try to catch that Tyranitar."

Startled, "What do you mean Tyranitar?" goes the professor.

"We encountered a wild Tyranitar in its Mega form on Route 30. The weirdest part was it had no trainer with it."

"Dad, what does 'Mega' mean?"

"Elm, you're the professional, you could probably explain it better than me."

"Well, you already know that when a pokemon reaches certain conditions it undergoes changes that we call 'evolution'. Pokemon that are fully evolved usually stay that way, but some fully evolved pokemon can evolve even further, through special items and a strong bond with their trainer."

"But the Tyranitar my dad and I found didn't have a trainer."

"Yes, that is strange. I'm sure the authorities will be looking into it, and so will I. For now, avoid scary pokemon like that at all cost, okay?"

"Okay."

We leave the laboratory and now here I am, ready to start my journey. My first partner is at my waist and I'm ready to face the world.

"Son, I guess I'll let you start on your own here. I'll go ahead... unless you want me to stay?"

"I think I got it, thanks, Dad!"

"Alright. I love you, son. Stop by the house when you get back to Violet City!"

"Okay, Love you too!"

As Dad heads off into the sunset I can hear Professor Elm yelling from behind me...

"WAIT! I forgot to give you something important!"

Professor Elm stumbles up to me and hands me something.. It kinda looks like a phone. "That's the new Pokedex. It keeps track of all the pokemon you've seen, giving you valuable information on each one. New pokemon are discovered almost every day so keep your eyes peeled! You may get rewarded for your data."

I shake his hand, thank him, and he takes off... I finally get to take the first steps of my journey. My short visit to New Bark is over and as I take my first step I trip over my shoelace, faceplant into the ground, and blackout.


End file.
